Alabama Returns to Coleman Coliseum to Host Furman on Tuesday Night - Alabama Athletics
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ā Alabama will play its final home game in the month of November when the Crimson Tide welcomes Furman to Coleman Coliseum on Tuesday night....
The Crimson Tide and Paladins will tipoff at 7 p.m. CT on SEC Network+
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ā Alabama will play its final home game in the month of November when the Crimson Tide welcomes Furman to Coleman Coliseum on Tuesday night. The contest, which is being played as a part of the 2019 Battle 4 Atlantis, is set to tip off at 7 p.m. CT and will be live streams on SEC Network+.
Alabama and Furman will meet for just the second time in series history when the two teams square off on Tuesday night inside Coleman Coliseum. The only other meeting in series history came back on Dec. 1, 1986. The Crimson Tide captured a 96-69 victory in that contest.
In its last contest, Alabama suffered a 93-79 defeat at Rhode Island on Friday night. The Tide trailed by as many as 22 points in the first half before storming back over the final 20 minutes. UA trimmed the lead to five points with just under three minutes remaining and had a three-point attempt to cut it to a two-point game. However, the shot was missed and the Rams responded by scoring the game's next 12 points to secure the victory.
The Broadcast
- Tuesday's game will air on SEC Network+ with Eli Gold (play-by-play), Wimp Sanderson (analyst) and Meggi Hetzel (analyst) on the call.
- The radio broadcast can be heard on the Crimson Tide Sports Network, Roger Hoover (play-by-play) and Bryan Passink (analyst) on the call. The pregame show will begin one hour prior to tipoff.
- Redshirt freshman Javian Davis has been a force since being inserted into the starting lineup against Florida Atlantic on Nov. 11. In the two games since, the Canton, Miss., native is averaging 15.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, while shooting 52.9 percent (9-of-17) from the field. He currently leads the team in field goal percentage at 52.6 percent (10-of-19) and free throw percentage at 85.7 percent (12-of-14).
- Sophomore Kira Lewis Jr. was selected to the coaches 2019-20 Southeastern Conference Preseason First Team and is proving early on why he earned the honor. Lewis leads the team in scoring (22.3 ppg), assists (5.7 apg), steals (2.0 spg) and three-point fielad goal percentage (38.9 percent), while his 38.0 minutes per game not only lead the team but also ranks tops in the SEC. Furthermore, the Meridianville, Ala., native ranks second on this year's squad in rebounding (6.3 rpg), field goal percentage (51.0 percent) and free throw percentage (76.9 percent).
- Despite being undersized, Alabama has been a dominant rebounding team in its three games this season. Over the stretch to start the year, the Crimson Tide has recorded at least 40 rebounds and is average 42.3 rebounds per game. Entering the Furman contest, Alabama boasts a +8.6 advantage on the glass (42.3-33.7) which ranks fifth in the Southeastern Conference.
- Alabama enters the game against Furman ranked among the league leaders in several categories through the early part of the season. The Crimson Tide currently ranks fourth in the SEC in assist per game (15.7) and threes made per game (8.3), fifth in free throw percentage (73.3 percent), rebounding offense (42.3 rpg), offensive rebounds per game (13.0) and defensive rebounds per game (29.3), and is sixth in scoring offense (79.0), rebounds margin (+8.3), three-point field goal percentage defense (27.1 percent) and blocked shots per game (5.0).
- In his first full game played this season, Herbert Jones picked up two charges and two blocks in the loss at Rhode Island. He is considered as one of the elite defensive players in the Southeastern Conference. After leading the Tide with 40 charges taken, which include a school record 23 as a freshman, he has accounted for 42 charges taken in his 71 career games played at Alabama. His defensive prowess was no more evident than in the Tide's season-opening loss to Penn. Jones played the opening 10 minutes before an elbow injury forced him to miss the remainder of the game, as well as the FAU contest. When he was on the floor, UA allowed 0.81 points per possession on defense, however, in the 30 minutes he did not play, the Tide gave up 1.09 points per possession. That equates to nearly 30 points per 100 possession.
- Four Alabama players average double figures, while six average at least 7.5 points per game through its three contests played. Sophomore Kira Lewis Jr. tops the squad and ranks third in the SEC with 22.7 points per game. He leads UA with 5.7 assists and 2.0 steals per game, which rank fifth and ninth in the conference, respectively, while his 38.0 minutes per contest tops the league. Lewis, who was tabbed to the first-team All-SEC preseason team, is shooting 51.0 percent (25-of-49) from the field and a team-leading 38.9 percent (7-of-18) from beyond the arc entering Tuesday night's contest.
- A pair of first-year players ā freshman Jaden Shackelford and redshirt freshman Javian Davis ā also average double figures with 12.7 points and 10.7 points per game, respectively. Shackelford tops the team in threes made (8) and attempted (26), while Davis is shooting a team-leading 52.6 percent (10-of-19) from the floor and 85.7 percent (10-of-12) from the charity stripe.
- Junior Herbert Jones is also averaging double figures with 11.0 ppg following his 17-point effort at Rhode Island. Jones, who saw only 10 minutes of action in the season-opener vs. Penn due to suffering an elbow injury which also sidelined him for the Florida Atlantic contest, saw his first significant action of the season when he started and played 22 minutes against the Rams.
- Juniors John Petty Jr. and Alex Reese are also contributing on the offensive end. Petty is averaging 9.0 points and a team-leading 7.7 rebounds a game, which ranks eighth in the SEC. Meanwhile, Reese is contributing 9.3 points, 5.3 boards per contest.
- As a team, the Crimson Tide has outrebounded all three of its opponents on the season and owns a +8.6 advantage on the glass (42.3-33.7). Alabama has outscored the opposition by +1.3 points (79.0-77.7) and is shooting 41.8 percent from the field, 28.1 percent from beyond the arc and 73.3 percent (44-of-60) from the foul line.
- Furman enters the contest at Alabama with a perfect 4-0 record, including a 2-0 mark in true road contests. The Paladins have played impressively through the early part of the season, outscoring opponents by 24.3 points per game (82.8-58.5), while shooting 52.6 percent from the field, 36.0 percent from three-point range and 77.8 percent from the charity stripe.
- Furman Jordan Lyons, the only senior on the 2019-20 roster, was voted to the Preseason All-Southern Conference team and the Paladins were tabbed to finish third in the 2019-20 league standings by both the coaches and media. The team returned four starters from last season's team that finished with a school record 25 wins (25-8) and reached the NIT for the first time since 1991.
- Lyons is one of four Paladins who average double figure scoring entering Tuesday night's contest. Junior forward Clay Mounce at 15.5 points per contest leads the way, while sophomore forward Noah Gurley is just behind at 15.0 ppg. Lyons (13.8) and sophomore forward Jalen Slawson (10.0) are also averaging in double figures. Mounce, a 6-7 forward, tops the team in three-point shooting (10-of-19, .526) and steals (2.3 spg), while Slawson tops Furman in rebounding (6.5 rpg) and field goal percentage (16-of-23, .696).
- Head coach Bob Richey is in his third season at the helm of the Furman men's basketball team and his ninth as a part of the Paladins program (spent six seasons as an assistant coach). The 36-year old head coach has impressed since taking over the team as he owns a record of 52-18 (.743) overall mark which includes setting the program mark for wins in a season in each of his first two years (23 wins in 2017-18 and 25 victories in 2018-19).
